puffer



A. D. PUFFER.

- Beer Cooler.

No. 84.439; Patented Nov. 24, 1868.

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A. D.-PUFFER, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 84,439, dated November 24, 1868.

IMPROVED BEER-GOOLER.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and maldng part of the same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, A. D. PUFFER, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex, and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beer-Coolers; and I do hereby declare that the followmg, taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification, is a description of my invention suflicient to enable those skilled in the art to practise it.

This invention is an improvement upon the means for .cooling beer now in use, inthe apparatus commonly employed in public houses, restaurants, 850., for drawing beer for retailing, such apparatus consisting of one or more pumps, so arranged in a case that the pumplevers or handles project at each or either side of the delivering-faucets, beneath which is a grid or a perforated plate, on which the. glasses or mugs rest when being filled, so that the overflow passes off, through the drip-plate or grid, to a receiver.

In this apparatus, the cooler has beenplaced at the bottom of the case, near the floor, and, as will be readily seen, the contents of the pipes between the cooler and the delivering-fitneets become warm, by absorption of heat from the air, so that the first draught from each pipe is unpalatable.

My invention mainly consists in so locating and arranging the cooler that it shall be as near as possible to the deliveringfaucets, while retaining sufiicient cubic capacity to receive the cooling-coils and a large charge of ice, and shall communicate with the space under the drip-plate, so that the cooler shall receive the beerdrippings, which can then pass, with the water from the ice, throughone waste-conduotonand shall receive the ice-charge at the space or opening usually covered by the drip-plate, which 'is made removable for this purpose, the cooler occupying the space in the case immediately beneath the drip-plate, from front to rear, between the pump-rods, and to the necessary depth.

By locating and arranging the cooler as described, and as shown in the drawings, I shorten the deliverypipes between the cooler and the delivery-faucets, so that there shall be but a minimum amount of beer left subject to absorb heat fi'om the air beyond the cooler, the result being that the first draught is sufficiently cool to be palatable.

As it is often desirable to get at the couplings of the pipes with the delivery-faucets, I make an opening or openings in that part of the case to which the faucets are fixed, the openings being hidden by the rear protecting-plate, on removal of which a workman can get at the couplings, access to them being cut off from the lower part of the case by presence of the cooler, as I arrange it.

In practice, it is found that, when the ice comes directly into contact with the beer-pipes coiled in the cooler, the beer is rendered turbid in appearance, and

this difiiculty is avoided by placing over the coils of pipe a grating, which holds 'the ice from contact with the pipes, which are submerged in the water which comes from the melting of the ice. It is also found that the beer has a better appearance when the surplus water is drawn from the bottom of the cooler, instead of from the water-level, though I am unable to assign any reason for this.

To effect the withdrawal of the water from the bottom of the cooler, I make use of a tube, surrounding the waste-pipe, as will be described beyond.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a vertical section of a beer-drawing apparatus embodying my invention, the

section being taken in the plane of the line 2 z, seen in Figure 2, which is a sectional plan of said apparatus, the section being taken, at the right, above the dripplate a, in the plane of the line y y, fig. 1, and, at the left, in the plane of the line at x in fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a detail, showing, in section, my improved waste-pipe for drawing ofi surplus water from the bot tom instead of from the water-level.

The case is made as usual, surrounding and covering from view the pumps and pipes, the pump-handles projecting conveniently for the grasp.

The drip-plate a is located in front of the case-board b, and between the parts through which the pumphandles project, and on the board, I), the delivery-faucets are fixed. I

The case, immediately about the drip-plate, is covered or protected by plates, which carry the beer-drippiugs into the cooler 0, located directly beneath, occupying the space between the pump-rods and the back and front of the case, the drip-plate resting on projections 11, fixed on the end protecting-plates, so that the drip-plate can be easily lifted out of place, for cleansing, and for filling the cooler with a charge of ice.

The opening; before mentioned, through the oaseboard I) is seen at c, and the back protecting-plate f covers the opening at all times, except when it is desired to get at the couplings of the beer-pipes g with the delivery-faucets h.

The grid over the coilsof the pipes g is marked a, the waste-pipe, j, while his the pipe surrounding the waste-pipe, which is open at the top, the location of which fixes the water-level.

Pipe k is of such size as to leave a Water-passage between it and pipe j, and into the bore of pipe j.

The top of pipe is must extend above the top of j, and may be open, or it may be closed, if it is desirable to keep the waste-pipe from becoming clogged by matter which might fall into the upper open top of k, but the bottom of pipe. It must be open, as shown, so that the waste current will pass in the direction indicated by the arrows in fig. 3.

The pumps 1 may be located anywhere in the case below the bottom of the cooler. It is, however, desirable that the pumps should have their bases above the .base of the case, for convenience of coupling the suction-pipes, not shown in the drawings.

I claim the arrangement of the cooler, with respect to the movable drip-plate, as and for the purposes specified.

Also, the opening 0, protected by the plate f, as and for the specified purpose.

Also, a base draught-waste, constructed and arranged substantially as described.

A. 1-). PUFFER.

Witnesses J B. GRosBY, FRANCIS GOULD. 

